Yukon's newest campground more accessible than most

When Yukon's new Conrad campground opened for the first time this weekend, it set a new standard in Yukon for accessibility. Among the 29 sites are two specifically designed for people with mobility challenges.

"There is a reason why we haven't been doing a lot of camping in the Yukon," said Steve Beaulieu, a Whitehorse father whose two sons use power wheelchairs. "Logistically, getting around the sites were difficult for us.

"Some of them don't have ramps up into the outhouses or the shelters." 

His family has spent time camping in Alaska, and says the state sets a high bar for accessible campgrounds. 

"I don't expect all the campgrounds to be 100 per cent accessible," he said, but added he would like to see more Yukon campgrounds designed with some accessible features and one or two sites with special designation, like Conrad.

'We can be a leader'

"Whenever I see any forward movement at all on any of these kinds of issues, I think it's a good thing," said Rick Goodfellow, executive director of Challenge, a non-profit organization in Whitehorse that assists people with disabilities.

Goodfellow points to new features at Conrad, including ramps, picnic tables that can accommodate a wheelchair, and specially designed fire pits.

But, as he asked for help to push his chair up an incline toward the new cookhouse, he noted there is still work to do.

The campground development was already well underway last year when Goodfellow was hired by the Yukon Government to work as a consultant, collaborating with Yukon Parks to make the new campground more accessible.

Conrad is the first new campground the territory has built in nearly three decades, and much has changed in that time.

"This is really the first shot here in the Yukon," Goodfellow said about creating a more inclusive camping experience.

"When we went looking at guidelines, there's really nothing existing in Canada. That gets everyone excited — we can be a leader," he said.